Combat is an Art form
by Intercontinental
Summary: Some are good from natural talent. Some are good through honed training. This is a story about when one of each meets each other. Makoto meets her match and embarks on a quest of personal growth, development, and self discovery. An alternate continuity/universe take on a tomboy's journey. Contains Original Characters. Also, expect cameos from within and without the series.
1. Chapter 1

Combat is an Art form

Chapter 1: Setting the stage

Makoto Rindou. She was hot headed, confident, and infinitely ambitious to improve upon her fighting skill. She took every opportunity she could to learn all she could about fighting. And after traveling the tournament circuit, she had proven herself to be the best female fighter in all of Japan. Then, she took on mixed competition, and found a place among the higher echelon. She was now ready to take on the next big challenge; fighting around the world.

She had made a decent amount of money on the winnings from the various tournaments she had competed in, but something even better happened. She managed to catch the eye of a man that was interested in helping her. He approached her after her latest fight.

"Miss Rindou, may I have a word?" he said in a very polite tone. He was a very business looking man, clad in a very well kept three piece suit, expensive looking shoes, wire frame glasses, and of course, the briefcase.

Makoto toweled off the sweat from her face and turned to face him. "Huh? 'Miss Rindou'? Cut the formality. I'm just Makoto. What's on your mind?"

The man smiled and adjusted his glasses. "I wouldn't dare be rude, but if you insist, Makoto. I would like to talk to you about a few things. But first, allow me to introduce myself." He reached into his suit coat and produced a business card. "I am Noriyama Michinoku of Strength and Honor."

Makoto took the card and instantly recognized the company logo. Strength and Honor happened to be her favorite brand of training gear. When she had finally laid her father's old dogi to rest, she started using S&H products and took a real shine to them. "Hey! I love your stuff! When I reopen my family's school, I wanted to stock it with all your gear."

Noriyama lit up with pride to hear that. "Really? That sounds great. Well then, with that said, I think you would come to enjoy what I am about to say." He and Makoto sat on a pile of mats nearby and he spoke while she took in some water. "We at Strength and Honor had taken notice of you during your rounds of the tournament circuit. Aside from seeing that you are indeed a very capable fighter and no doubt the best female fighter in our country, we also noticed that every time you went out to fight, you were always in one of our keikogi."

Makoto simply nodded and looked down at the one she was wearing. No small wonder there. She loved Strength and Honor's keikogi and wore hers in training and in fights. Noriyama continued.

"Since you have won pretty much every conceivable sanctioned fighting tournament there is here in Japan, my company has sent me to make you an offer." He opened his briefcase and retrieved a stack of papers to present to her. "Strength and Honor would like to offer to sponsor you on a whirlwind tour of the world. We want to send you from country to country to face fighters around the globe."

Makoto nearly exploded. She couldn't hide the joyful expression that then dominated her face. It was like a dream come true. To hop from place to place and fight people from other cultures and styles. To learn everything she could take in about other fighting styles, other cultures' views of fighting, and about her own strengths and weaknesses. To her, it was the opportunity of a lifetime.

The huge smile faded almost as quickly as it had come. Makoto was not the smartest girl in the world, but she did have common sense and street smarts. She looked at Noriyama inquisitively. "What's the catch? There has to be some rub here."

Noriyama simply smiled and took the stack of papers from her. "Here on page two are all the details. You will have as much time as you want to look over the contract or have someone do it for you. The gist of it basically states that we send you around to different fights, challenges, and tournaments worldwide, and in return, you wear our karate gi with the logo visible and use our gear. Essentially, you would be our advertising poster girl as we move forward toward marketing our products worldwide."

Makoto's head started swimming. She got lost in thought over this sudden situation. _**I get the chance to see the world and learn so much and all I have to do is train and fight in the gear I use all the time anyway? It definitely sounds too good to be true. **_She looked back up at Noriyama. She couldn't help but to still feel a little suspicious. "What are some of the other details?" she asked, with an almost worried look on her face.

Undeterred, Noriyama pulled out his smartphone, brought up the picture gallery, and handed it to Makoto. "These are the primary pieces of equipment we would have you using." The first picture was of a relatively plain looking karate gi, just the type Makoto liked best. No frills, but very comfortable and easy to move around in. The only difference was that it had a large shoulder to shoulder sized Strength and Honor logo on its back. The other pictures were of gloves, headgear, kick pads, punching bags, training dummies, and other kinds of sparring gear, all with the logo clearly visible.

She had a "kid in a candy store" look on her face at seeing all that gear. But something got to her, and an eye brow shot up. She looked to Noriyama again and asked, "Aren't there rules against logos and stuff on fighters' uniforms in organized fights?"

Ever the business man that he was, Noriyama didn't even flinch at the question. He replied, "Here in Japan, yes. There are many rules and regulations in place with regard to such blatant advertising like that. However…" He tilted his head forward and adjusted his glasses again, almost as if for dramatic effect. "In other parts of the world, such regulations are not commonplace." He flipped through the stack of papers again and landed on a page with these rules then handed it back to her. He continued, "And rest assured, our market research team has done its homework on these rules. In the event that your travels should bring you back home for a fight or to one of the countries on this list with advertising regulations in place, we also have gear set aside that are in full compliance with the regulations."

Makoto's mind started racing again. "You guys have thought of everything."

Noriyama nodded and smiled again. "Also, there is one other thing I wanted to turn your attention to." He took back the stack of papers and got to the last page. "This section here makes it clear that you don't necessarily have to go out there and be an indomitable fighting machine. You by no means have to maintain a spotless winning record in order to keep our deal. I added that to make sure we didn't come off to you as hard lot of masters, cruelly pushing you to succeed. Just do what you have been doing before you even met me. Go out there and look good in your fights. Represent Japan and Strength and Honor with poise and dignity. Even if you were to lose, it would merely show that even the best are not infallible."

_**Wow… They really DID think of everything. **_Makoto was taken aback by it all. In her heart she knew this was a once in a lifetime chance, and she certainly didn't intend to squander it. "Let me sleep on it, ok? Run it by the family?"

Feeling success, Noriyama couldn't help but smile wider. "Of course. And keep this in mind. This is an opportunity like no other. How else would a small town girl with big time dreams get a shot like this? We give you a globetrotting fantasy and you give our product worldwide exposure. Win win, as they say."

Makoto certainly couldn't argue with his point. She had pretty much made up her mind already, but at least wanted to get her family's opinion.

"One other thing," Noriyama said, derailing her train of thought. "How is your English?"

"Oh, just fine. I took it up from my first year of school. Why do you ask?"

He smiled again. "Good. I ask because if you do decide to come with us, your first few stops will be in the Caribbean and the US." With that, he handed her back the paperwork, gathered the rest of his things and stood to leave. "You have my card. Take all the time you need to decide. But please, get back to us as soon as you have. And thank you for your time, Miss Rindou." He turned toward the door of the arena and left.

Makoto was stunned into silence by how much she was loving this whole situation. She wasted little time in getting home to discuss it all with her family.

* * *

Author's Note ~ For the sake of familiarity, think of Strength and Honor in this story as kind of Japanese version of the company Under Armour. Also, and this may be obvious but I'll mention it anyway, whenever I have lines that are bolded and italicized, it means someone is thinking something that is part of the story. I tend to use it a lot, so I figured I would give fair warning ahead of time.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Approval from the fam

"Wow, Makoto! Really?" Taka Rindou, Makoto's grandfather was overly excited that his granddaughter would get to see the world. "Every country you go to, you have to bring your old man a souvenir." Makoto smiled big and accepted a crushing hug from the elder Rindou.

"Whoa, now. Pump the brakes, Ojiisan. We should have a good look at this contract first." Ryo Rindou, Makoto's older brother, had left to learn to become a business man before returning home a few years later to set up shop with a branch of his accounting firm not far from the old family house. Now he was a prominent lawyer and a partner at his firm. He was more often than not the voice of reason in the Rindou family. He also had a tendency to be a wet blanket, smothering the fun out of Makoto and Taka's affairs.

Ryo sat on the couch and started plying his trade. "Now let's see…" He went through the Strength and Honor sponsorship contract page for page absorbing all of it as he went. "Hmmm." Sensing an opportunity to have a little fun, he stopped and rose a brow. "Makoto, have you read through this thing yet?"

Makoto sat next to him, knowing his advice would not only be sound and worthy of following, but also annoying. "Not yet. Mr Michinoku got a hold of me just before I left to come home. I came straight from the arena to here," she said as she went to remove her keikogi top.

"Well, be glad I came to visit before you signed this thing. There are a couple of hitches in this contract that I think you aren't going to like very much."

She never liked how Ryo assumed he knew what was best in any situation, but he was almost always right, and that bugged her to no end. "Oh? Like what?" she asked, as she folded her top neatly.

He turned toward her on the couch, but didn't look up from the papers. "Like this one. It says here that as a condition of the contract, you would have to agree to grow your hair out, as they would want their 'mascot' to present a respectable image." He paused and waited for what he knew would be an irritated and no doubt childish (thus entertaining) remark.

Angry, Makoto started pulling at her short hair. "Oh damn it! Seriously?! Well that's just so unfair…" Ryo let a victorious smirk curl on his lip. She reacted exactly as predicted. But suddenly, Makoto halted her tantrum and seemed to relax instantly. What she did next was certainly not a page out of her usual play book. Makoto spoke up again. "Now that I think of it, if I did let my hair grow out, people wouldn't keep confusing me for a guy. Yeah! I can live with that." A small smile started on her face.

Ryo was a little frazzled. He took pleasure in watching his little sister squirm, and this sudden bit of maturity was certainly unwelcome in that respect. He was also a little confused. _**Confusing her for a guy? Isn't that the whole point? For years, I always just assumed she was a… Bah! No sense in bitching now. Let's see if I can find something else to get under her skin. **_He continued running through the info on the contract. "Here's another one. It says you will be required to attend the occasional personal appearance and press conference while pushing the Strength and Honor product line, for which will be required business dress and business casual attire." Again, Ryo paused and waited for her response.

In an instant, a frown populated Makoto's face, which Ryo ate up like chocolate. "Business? You mean like power suits, those ugly suit skirts, and oh God… HEELS?!" She dramatically fell flat backward on the couch. "I'm a fighter, damn it! Not a flight attendant! Just kill me now!"

Again, Ryo was enjoying every second of her torture and trying his hardest to keep it hidden. Then after a moment of steaming, she sat back up with a more sober look on her face. Ryo knew he wasn't going to like this…

"I guess it's the price I have to pay for getting to live out a dream." In the face of her fantasy, Makoto was growing up little by little right before Ryo's very eyes. And he hated that.

_**Damn it woman! Stay down! You're killing my fun here.**_ He continued scanning to see if the third time would be the charm. Then he saw it. His coup d' grace. What he thought would be her Achilles' Heel.

"This one last one states that you will need to learn and maintain at least a decent understanding of the English language, as most of the places you will be going are either native English or have a large population of English speaking citizens." _**HA! Come back from that one!**_

There was no grimace, no grunt or groan. Makoto just simply smiled and in perfect English said, "Well that works just fine for me. I'm nearly fluent in English anyway." Ryo felt his eye brow twitch and his lip quiver a little. He didn't know as much about his little sister as he had thought. He knew she had taken English in school, but not for how long. He never knew that Makoto spoke English better than he could. She even had a better grasp of some of the nuances to the language like a better understanding of accents of English speakers around the world and slang.

_**Oh damn it! I give up! Three strikes for this guy. **_Ryo conceded defeat. He did manage to keep his cool and not let on his intent to torture Makoto though. "Okay, the rest of this thing seems pretty standard fare. And there isn't any fine print, so I'd say it is safe to go ahead and sign," he said as he handed the contract back to her. Ryo began to realize just how much this whole thing meant to his sister. And while he always loved giving her a hard time and really enjoyed seeing her squirm, he would always support her.

As Ryo walked toward the kitchen from the family room, their grandfather took a step toward him and whispered with a smirk, "Cold bastard. You tried." Over the years, Taka had always been aware of Ryo's playfully malicious intent.

"Ojiisan, you wound me," Ryo said with mock surprise as he put both hands over his heart to punctuate the purposefully overdramatic moment.

Oblivious to the exchange, Makoto sat on the couch locked in a daydream about this opportunity. Her mind raced with ideas of what it was going to be like to see the world, all the different foods and new sights, all the people she would meet, all the warriors she would get to fight, and the honor she could bring to her family name when the time came to reopen the Rindou-kan school. The more she thought about it, the more intense the excitement became.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: BFF

With the blessing of her family and giddy anticipation, Makoto made contact with Strength and Honor to accept their offer. She called up Noriyama Michinoku to let him know that she was in with two small exceptions. More like additions, really, suggested by her brother.

The first being that since Ryo was a lawyer and an accountant, he would act as her agent. As antagonistic as he had always been toward his sister, Ryo was still there to look out for her. Although he knew Makoto would certainly not believe him if he told her, Ryo really didn't do it for the money. He genuinely wanted be there for her and help her in a way she could not help herself. And since he was a lot savvier with business, Makoto was in no place to turn him down.

The second condition actually took even Makoto by surprise. Ryo suggested adding a clause to the contract that stated that when their deal was finished, Strength and Honor would endorse and help market the Rindou-kan dojo when Makoto finally reopened it. He said that it would be mutually beneficial since Makoto had planned on stocking the school with Strength and Honor products anyway, it would provide more exposure.

Noriyama had no qualms allowing Ryo's additions. Truthfully, he was prepared for them to ask for a lot more. Then, he remembered of Makoto's upbringing. She was a simple girl of simple means, and that meant she was not at all difficult to please. That also meant that he could likely expect no small amount of integrity from her and that she would be easy to work with.

With both sides satisfied, they ended the call. Noriyama let her know that she had three months to train before her journey started. Makoto wasted little time. She immediately got into the gym to get herself in even better shape.

* * *

Two of three months pass.

* * *

It was a training day like any other. Makoto was in the gym finishing up the weightlifting portion of her daily exercise regimen. She went to reach for a towel when she felt the presence of eyes watching her. She didn't let on that she knew someone was there and continued as she had. Just as she wiped the sweat from her brow she instinctively spun around, and in one fluid motion, stretched the towel out between both hands and then wrapped it back up. In doing so, she caught two incoming kunai.

With half a grin on her lips Makoto said, "You're getting slow, Ibuki."

The ninja girl dropped from the rafters of the gym a few feet in front of Makoto. "And you're getting a little bit quicker," she said. Ibuki and Makoto had been the best of friends in high school and remained close after graduating. They hadn't seen each other for much of the two years since then, as Ibuki went off to college and Makoto was making her rounds of Japan's fight circuit.

Ibuki launched herself at her friend at full force, but Makoto didn't budge. She simply stood there. Rather than attack, as she would have in their high school days, Ibuki instead wrapped up Makoto in a crushingly affectionate hug. "Damn girl. How long has it been?" she asked.

"Too long," Makoto replied as she reciprocated the hug. "Definitely too long. It feels like you're getting a little squishy. And you seemed to have lost a step."

Ibuki playfully pushed away. "Hey! I'm not squishy. I just haven't kept up my ninjitsu training as much since I've been away at school." As ashamed as she was to admit it, Ibuki realized that all that studying and less training had caused her to put on a few pounds. Compared to the average girl, she was in absolutely great condition, but for a little girl with such a small frame, that few extra pounds definitely made its presence shown.

With the space between them now, they each took a moment to take in the other. Ibuki was wearing her typical "uniform for daily life" as she called it back in school that consisted of jeans so tight, it made Makoto wonder how her lower extremities got circulation, tennis shoes, and a tank top. Makoto noticed right away that few pounds Ibuki had packed on, but was not going to make another comment about it. She had always told Ibuki that she could stand to "put some meat on her bones", and now that she had, Makoto thought it made her look healthier. She no doubt knew that Ibuki was fully aware of it, so she just let it go.

Being in the gym, Makoto was wearing Strength and Honor workout clothes; Sneakers, moisture wicking "compression" t-shirt and gym shorts, and one of her omnipresent red sports bras. One glaring difference that stood out caught Ibuki's eye right away. Makoto now had her hair grown out down to about the middle of her back and tied into a thick braid. Her trusty yellow scarf was wrapped around the top of it close to where it came out from the back of her head so it flowed down the length of the braid and past it.

"Hey girl, what's with the locks?" she asked out of genuine curiosity. "As long as we've known each, I've never seen you with that much hair."

With a twist of the neck and a jerk of her head, Makoto slung her hair around the front so it draped over her left shoulder and hung down on her chest. "The times change us all. I actually let it grow as part of my new job. Hell, I haven't had my hair grown this long since I was like five." Makoto looked down and blushed with a bit of shame for what she was going to say next. "I actually had to call one of our old buddies from high school that still lives in town to come and teach me how to braid it. I've never really messed with my hair and kept it short all these years since my mother passed."

Ibuki raised an eye brow, cocked a hip to the side and crossed her arms. "Part of your job, huh?" she said in a sarcastic tone. "So it has nothing to do with you coming to grips with the fact that you should be prepping yourself to start dating at some point?"

"What?! No!" Makoto retorted as her cheeks instantly reddened.

She took the bait… Now Ibuki had ammunition to get under her skin with a little merciless teasing. She was well aware that everyone they knew while they were in school had always thought that Makoto was a lesbian, given her fashion sense, or lack thereof, as the case may be, and mannerisms. Ibuki was never really sure herself, since Makoto was likely the only girl she ever met that never talked about boys. The confusion was also compounded by the fact that Makoto would always get angry whenever someone mistook her for a guy. That thought sparked another in Ibuki's twisted little mind.

"Oh really? Then what's with the super tight spandex outfit? Every other time I've seen you in here, you were always in your father's old dogi. Looks to me like someone just recently discovered herself…" she said in a snide, teasing tone.

Just then, Makoto was painfully aware that her workout setup was indeed skin tight. "It's… uh… they're… um..." Makoto fumbled nervously over her words. Her mind raced to try to come up with something. After a moment, it came to her. "They're made by the company I work for specifically for exercise. They are designed to catch most of your sweat. The fabric pulls the sweat away from the body and makes working out more comfortable." She managed to get it all out without tripping up over any of it.

Ibuki could tell by her response that it was the truth. She knew that if Makoto was anything, she was deadly honest. Nonetheless, she still wanted to mess with her. "Uh huh… And they just so happen to be clinging tenaciously to all that beautiful, blossoming womanhood. So showing off the goods has nothing to do with it?"

Makoto's whole face flushed bright red. "The goods?! You… I… uh… That's…" she sputtered nervously. "Oh I give up!" she huffed as she crossed her arms.

Ibuki couldn't hold it anymore. She doubled over onto the gym floor and laughed maniacally at how cute her buddy looked in her current state of flustered embarrassment. "Don't get pissed off at me. I'm just giving you shit, girl. Oh man, if only you could see yourself right now! That was absolutely adorable."

Still mad, Makoto plopped down on the gym's floor mats herself. "Evil cold blooded harpy… I hate you."

Ibuki scooted in closer to her friend. "You love me and you know it," she said as she placed a playful peck on her cheek. "So what's up with this new job you mentioned?"

The red started to wane from her face as Makoto calmed down. "Well, on my last fight, I ran into a rep from Strength and Honor." She went on to explain the whole situation to her long time friend, who sat and listened intently.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Positive Self Image

Spending a week with Ibuki while she was in town on break from her school was a nice enough distraction for Makoto. Breaking away from her constant, self imposed training regimen was a good way for her to put her entire situation into perspective. Truth be told, Makoto never truly understood how or why she and Ibuki had gotten along so well for as long as they had. They were so different with regard to personality. Makoto was focused, goal driven, and ambitious. And while Ibuki was always a good fighter, she certainly came off as bit airy and unbelievably boy crazy, almost to the point of being painfully comedic. She had just summed it all up by thinking that her levelheaded mentality helped ground Ibuki and all her craziness, while Ibuki was her lifeline to a largely indifferent teenage world that just did not understand her or her way of approaching life.

And when Ibuki was gone, she left Makoto with some thinking to do about herself. While she was a source of near infinite frustration for Makoto over the years, she also had a habit of provoking thought in Makoto with her unending perkiness and overly girlish mannerisms.

While her confidence in herself with her family's fighting style was certainly unwavering, Makoto's perception of herself as a woman was always lacking. Whether it was just natural or because she grew up without female influence in life, having lost her mother at five, Makoto thought of herself more as a fighter than a girl or a woman. And having just spent a week with Ibuki drummed up all those thoughts again. However, rather than just push it all to the side like she had done so many times before, Makoto decided to actually put thought into the concept.

What really got the whole thing rolling in her head was when Ibuki had first arrived. She thought to that day a week previous when Ibuki was making comments about her new workout clothes. She knew Ibuki was only trying (and succeeding) to get a rise out of her, but it sparked long dormant thoughts in her mind about herself. More specifically, thoughts of her own self-image.

It was the day after Ibuki had left to go back to college. Makoto was getting ready to get back into her workout routine. After she dressed, she stood in front of the mirror, taking herself in. She never really took the time to actually look at herself before_**. **_Makoto grinned a bit as she internally rationalized her figure. _**Ibuki was right. This outfit does hug real close. Can't say I don't like what I see, though. **_

She turned to the side and looked over her profile._** Oh wow… I never noticed before that my butt is huge. Oh well. I guess it makes sense with all the muscle in my legs. I wonder if there are any guys out there that don't mind a girl with a really big butt. **_

She paused for a moment._** Whoa… Now there's a thought I don't think I've ever had before. Ibuki **__**definitely**__** wore off on me a little. **_

Makoto made it a point from then on to pay closer attention to her appearance, particularly since she was going to be a very public person soon. When she was finished, Makoto grabbed up the rest of her gear and headed to the gym.

* * *

After a bit of calisthenics and her weight lifting set, Makoto had gone into the cardio room to do a few miles on the treadmill. She was midway through her second mile when she caught a hint of whispers from across the room. As per her norm, she didn't let on that she was aware and just listened in.

"Dude. Bro. Dudebro! Come 'ere a sec."

"What's up and why are we whispering?"

"Dude, check out all that meaty action on the treadmill."

"Whoa! Hips and Cheeks and Thighs… Oh my!"

"Man, I wonder when she started coming here. I never saw her here before."

"I know right! Neither of us would have ever missed a set of legs like that."

Despite their hideously failed attempt at discretion, Makoto caught every word. Suddenly, her self esteem went rocketing through the roof. Makoto had used that gym for years, but she was always there in either her old dogi or a set of sweats. And she had always had her hair short, meaning that to them, she was just another face in the crowd of guys in there. Now, with a change of clothes and a new hairstyle, she was getting attention. Makoto truthfully didn't know how to respond. She couldn't even continue with her workout. Her concentration was completely thrown off, but it didn't bother her at all.

She stopped the treadmill and grabbed her stuff to leave. On her way out, she noticed the two guys were glancing at her, so she smiled and waved as she walked by. They both looked up and waved back. As she left, she could practically feel their eyes all over her. She could almost hear the dirty thoughts they were no doubt thinking. It was a feeling she had never felt before. Certainly a strange sensation that felt almost wrong, but deep down, she had to admit to herself that it felt great!

Makoto went home halfway through her planned workout with this odd new sense of satisfaction beaming in the back of her mind. Throughout her life, confidence had never been in short supply, save for one area. That area was now filled to bursting and she was proud to be able to think that she now had a fully positive self image.

* * *

Author's Note ~ This one was kind of short, but it makes a point with Makoto's realization at the end. I came across that same kind of epiphany when I was younger myself.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Her Journey Begins

Makoto's allotted three months for training had come and gone and it was finally time to go. She was packed and ready. She was mentally prepared. The excitement that this new chapter in her life was bringing was nearly overwhelming. Taka caught her at the door as she was leaving.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Take yours now." He looked over Makoto with a discerning eye. "If only your mother could see you now. You look every bit the strong and beautiful woman she had always hoped you would be before she passed," he said as he attempted to choke back a tear. "Go out there and show the world what the Rindou family is capable of." He hugged his granddaughter tight. "Make your mother and father proud. Make this old man proud."

Makoto hugged back and with a big smile said, "I won't let you down, Ojiisan."

Taka stepped back from her and wiped off an emotional tear that managed to escape. "By the time you get back, I hope the Rindou name is on the lips of everyone the world over."

With that last statement, pride began to well up inside both Makoto and Taka. She gave her grandfather a respectful bow and one last wave, then headed out to the car where her brother was waiting.

She and Ryo had gone to Strength and Honor's corporate headquarters for final travel prep. As they stood in the lobby waiting for Noriyama, Ryo turned to her and said, "Are you ready for this, little sister?"

All she could do in response was nod. She was so worked up with giddy anticipation and adrenaline that the words just wouldn't come. Ryo didn't bother trying to work something out of her. He could understand how she felt. This was to be the adventure of her life and he had expected for her to be like that.

Ryo had made up his mind not to do his usual antagonist routine on this trip. Since he was just along for the ride to handle the business of it all, he wasn't going to be his usual cryptic douche self. This was all about Makoto living a dream and possibly making it big. And he was going to do his part to help her along the way. He knew full well that he stood to make a lot of money on this venture and none of it would have been possible without her. More importantly, he wanted to be there for her.

Noriyama called them up to his office to discuss the last minute details and give them their flight itineraries and accommodation reservations for the first leg of the trip.

"Well now, you're looking good. I hardly recognized you," Noriyama said, referencing her hair. Makoto gave a little smile and mouthed a 'thank you'.

"Right to it then. Down to business." Over his desk, he handed Ryo two separate folders. "Here are you tickets and the hotel info. You flight leaves in three hours and your first destination is Negril, Jamaica."

Ryo thumbed through the folders to see that they were all in order. Noriyama continued. "There is an open weight free style tournament going on there this weekend being hosted by a local music mogul. I've made contact with him and arranged for some publicity and advertising air time. He'll be expecting you. I booked your flights so you land a few days before the tournament starts. That way, you get ample time to adjust to the jet lag from traveling halfway around the world. Plus, who doesn't want a chance to poke around on a tropical island, no?"

After their meeting, Makoto and Ryo departed for the airport. When they got there, they were flanked by Koji Kanemoto and Ayako Hamada, a publicist and advertising rep for Strength and Honor. The airport, the flights, transfers, customs, and landing in Jamaica were all a blur to Makoto. She was just so excited that it was all happening. Thursday had rolled around before her haze finally wore off and she started getting more into the fighting frame of mind. The tournament was going to begin on Saturday and run until the championship match Tuesday night.

Thursday evening, Makoto and her team were to meet up with the tournament sponsor. "Dante' Julian Maxwell," Ryo said. "Our host is apparently a huge business man here in the Caribbean. He runs a very successful multinational record label, owns the stadium the tournament is being held in, owns the soccer team that plays in the stadium, does lots of charity work, and is himself a fairly accomplished fighter."

The last part piqued Makoto's interest. "Multitalented, huh? Do you know anything about his fighting style?"

"Patience, baby girl," said an unfamiliar and heavily accented voice. They all turned toward the direction of the voice and saw a tall Jamaican man in a flashy orange business suit. "You'll get to see lots of the Dee Jay's style and rhythm come Saturday." He walked over to the team and took a place next to Makoto, towering a foot and half above her.

"Mr. Maxwell?" she inquired, having to look way up to meet his gaze.

"I and I be one and the same. But call me Dee Jay. Everyone on the island does," he replied. Makoto noticed that he seemed very happy about something. There was a huge smile across his face.

"Saturday? Will you be fighting in the tournament too?" Makoto asked with a smile of her own. His cheerfulness was infectious.

"Yes indeed, me pretty lady. Why go and put all this big thing together and not get in on some the fun?"

'Pretty lady'. Makoto was starting to take a liking to Dee Jay. She gave him the once over, sizing up a potential opponent. Having never met someone of Caribbean decent, his features stood out easily to her. She saw that he had long legs in proportion to the rest of his body. She took notice of his large hands, strong jaw and unique haircut, being shaved close up the sides with a large "M" cut into them, along with long and thin braids streaming behind him.

She also noticed that along with his big smile, his clothes seemed to play right into his inherent cheerfulness. The bright orange spoke of that. And he carried himself like he didn't have a care in the world. His manner spoke volumes of him as a person, but said absolutely nothing about his fighting. Makoto resolved to do a little studying on him when they got back to the hotel.

Ayako stepped forward to speak. She bowed gracefully and respectfully and said, "Mr. Maxwell, I am Ayako Hamada, the advertising representative for Strength and Honor."

Smile widening, Dee Jay said, "So formal. So rigid. Throw your shoulders back and relax, girl. And like I told the little pretty one, call me Dee Jay."

'Little pretty one'. Makoto was definitely liking him now.

Ayako was caught off guard. While she spoke English fluently, she had never left Japan before and was only familiar with the rigid formality of the Japanese business world. She raised her head from the bow and was a bit stuck for a moment. "Um… Okay, Dee Jay." She tried with all her might to adjust and seem more laid back for her host. "I'd like to discuss the details of the deal you made with Mr. Michinoku before we arrived."

With his omnipresent smile, Dee Jay said, "Oh yes. Not an issue. I got a booth set up for you all to display your line in the stadium."

Out of reflex, Ayako bowed again. "Thank you, Dee Jay. We'll get out there and start getting setup first thing Saturday morning when the doors open."

"Ease up girl! I can't say I don't dig the respect, but don't be so wooden. Haha! I like where you're coming from though. I think I'll set up a little surprise for you when the fights start."

Catching a bit of Dee Jay's infectious cheeriness, Ayako smiled wide. "Really? What kind of surprise?"

"Hey now! That's what I like to see. And it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you. Now would it? You'll see come Saturday."

Looking up at him again, Makoto turned to Dee Jay and spoke to him. "Hey, if you're fighting, I hope I get a chance to take you on. I'm really looking forward to throwing down with different fighters from all over."

"You got a lot of spirit, sweet thing. I hope you have all the fun in the world. I know I will." Dee Jay smiled even bigger down at her. "I'm going to take off for a bite to eat. All of you are more than welcome to join me."

Ayako piped up almost instantly. "I'll go!" She realized that had to look incredibly impulsive and sank backward a bit in shame. "If that's okay…" she added meekly.

Koji spoke for the first time. "Ryo and I are going to go look around the island tonight. Makoto?"

"I think I'm going to call it early tonight. I have a few things to take care of back at the room."

Still smiling, but with a hint of disappointment, Dee Jay replied, "You sure? I always feel better about life when I'm surrounded by loveliness."

With that, the group parted ways for their separate destinations.

_**Pretty lady. Little pretty one. Sweet thing. Loveliness. So totally not used to getting complimented, but I like it. Apparently, all I ever needed was to grow my hair. **_The trip just started and Makoto already loved it. She went to her hotel suite to study up on her host.

She got on Ryo's laptop and started searching for info on Dee Jay_**. Let me see… 'The Southern Comet'. Cool nickname. Here we go. Fight videos. **_She watched video after video of Dee Jay's fights, trying to get a feel for his fighting style. _**It looks a modified version of Muay Thai, but there are so many differences… Seems like there are hints of Jeet Kun Do and Capoeria thrown in also. And his unorthodox movements make it very hard to track and predict a pattern. He just seems be totally random. **_

One thing Makoto took pride in was being able to actively analyze a person's moves and patterns to be able to come up with a defense to their attack. She wasn't having any luck analyzing Dee Jay because he was self-styled and difficult to read. _**I guess that means I'll just play it by ear. Oh man, this is going to be awesome! **_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: That's a huge b*tch!

Friday morning

After a shower and some breakfast, Makoto was ready to get started on a nice long workout to get her into a prime fighting mood. Dee Jay had set it up so all the fighters in his tournament could use a gym that was just down the road from their hotel, splitting the distance between the hotel and the stadium. He owned it after all. Before that though, she wanted to return her brother's computer. After getting into her workout clothes, her now standard Strength and Honor compression outfit of red shirt and yellow shorts, she went to the room next to hers and knocked on the door.

A voice from inside called, "It's open."

Makoto entered to see her brother sitting at a table with briefcase open and business materials strewn about. Koji was standing at the other end of the table with a drink in hand. Even though they had been together for a few days now, this was the first time she had paid attention to Koji. He stood about five feet and eleven inches, relatively tall for a Japanese man. He looked to be in his early to mid forties and sported well kept jet black hair. She also noticed that he was fairly handsome and well toned and chiseled for a business man. He stood up straight and even while wearing swimming trunks, sandals, and a tank, he gave off a respectable, almost regal aura. They looked to be having a meeting about setting up at the stadium.

"Hey, Ryo. I'm going to that gym up the block you told me about and I didn't want your laptop locked in my room for so long," she explained as she walked toward him to surrender it.

"Oh nice. I was just about to come over there and ask for it," he said as he took it. He sat back down to set it up and continue his meeting. After plugging it in, he turned to Makoto as she was about to leave again. "On the off chance you happen to see the fourth wheel of our little wagon, could you kindly point her our way."

Before Makoto could even acknowledge him, there was another knock at the door. "Koji, its Ayako."

"Well, well. 'Speak of the devil and surely she shall appear'," Koji said with a grin. "It's open."

Ayako Hamada, their ad rep, shuffled in, looking the worse for the wear. This was the first time Makoto really paid any attention to her also. She was the same height as Makoto, maybe and inch taller. She had short brown hair with streaks of black here and there. Makoto assumed that was natural, as dyeing would be greatly looked down upon considering her background in business. She was a pretty woman in her early thirties, who was very well endowed, as her spaghetti string red floral sun dress was letting everyone know. And at the moment, she looked to be nursing a hangover.

"Do you have any ice in here, Koji? I'm out in my room. Or maybe some aspirin?" she asked as she walked gingerly toward them at the table. Makoto noticed she walked with a slight limp and was instantly curious as to why.

Grin still on his face, Koji said, "Damn, you look like shit. What happened? Did you mouth off to Dee Jay and catch an ass whooping for it?"

After sitting at the table, Ayako crossed her arms and huffed. "I'll have you know, Dee Jay was a perfect gentleman. After dinner, he took me out to get a sample of some of Jamaica's night life. And it will please you to know that I was the perfect lady…" She started to trail off a bit and her cheeks flushed a deep red, like what she was about to say would be very shameful. "… up until about the seventh drink."

Koji's grin got even bigger. "Seventh drink? Oh this ought to be just grand." Also eagerly awaiting her explanation, Ryo was literally sitting at the edge of his chair.

Her face now fully red, Ayako stammered a little. "Well, um… After dinner and a little club hopping, I, uh… kind of, um…" She dropped her head and nearly whispered the next part. "I kinda pounced him and and toyed with him until he fucked my brains out…"

The room exploded in laughter! Koji fell backward onto his hotel bed, spilling his drink on the carpet in the process, Ryo slipped out of his seat and onto the floor, and Makoto had to hold herself upright on the wall to her right near the room door.

"You didn't happen to scare him off, did you?" Koji asked while wiping a laughter induced tear. "We are here on business after all."

"No... He actually asked if I'd come out with him again tonight. He said that hanging out with him might do wonders for helping me loosen up to life." Of course, Ayako was hoping to get another round in with Dee Jay, but she most certainly wasn't going to tell the team that she liked to be ridden hard and put away wet.

"Holy shit! This is awesome!" Koji yelled through his laughs. "The stiffest, most wooden woman I ever met in my entire life got the stiffest, most wooden treatment she's ever had! And all it took was a few days away from home. I absolutely HAVE to call Suzume from my marketing department. She always said all you ever needed to lighten up was a good hard pounding."

If she hadn't thoroughly enjoyed herself with the entirety of the events the night previous, Ayako might have been shamed out of her own mind. "Hey! That's not funny."

"Holy hell, Ayako. Sure it is! The entire time you've been with Strength and Honor, even when you were still an intern, EVERYONE always thought you were such a drag. Ironclad professionalism, stiff and boring demeanor. If you didn't have such a girly way of carrying yourself or that rack you always love showing off, one could swear you were a robot. Hell, half the company thought you were gay."

That statement caught her attention and broke Makoto out of her giggle fit. Instantly, she sensed a kindred spirit in Ayako. One misjudged by others because of the way she lives.

Ayako was backed into a corner and felt she had to go on the defensive. "Whoa, whoa! I am totally not gay. I just never really put much thought into men or dating because I've always been focused bettering my career."

Makoto now understood Ayako on a much deeper and more profound level than her brother or Koji ever could.

Ayako looked at her assailants. Koji and Ryo were still locked in an ongoing mania of convulsive laughter, while Makoto was behind her stuck in thought. She hadn't noticed Makoto was laughing at first and stopped. Angry at the two men, she spoke up. "You guys are jerks. Dee Jay is probably twice the man both of you are. Oh, man. He's got the biggest pe…"

"Whoa, cowgirl!" Ryo cut her. "You almost stepped dangerously close to 'Way Too Much Info' territory."

"What's this? Do I sense apprehension in your voice?" Ayako asked with devilish grin creeping onto her angered façade. "A sensitive subject, no?" She pulled out her cell phone. "I was just going to say that rather play childish games, Dee Jay would rather be the... 'bigger man', as it were. Oh, and then there's this." She held up her phone for Ryo and Koji.

The uncontrollable laughter screeched to a halt instantly.

"Oh come on, Ayako! That is just horrid." Ryo said with disgust. "But I can't look away. Maybe it's the food here in the Caribbean."

"Good lord, woman… How are you even able to walk after that?" Koji asked.

Being behind Ayako and a few feet away, Makoto couldn't see and was now curious. "What is it, Ryo?"

Koji broke his gaze for a moment. "Trust me Makoto. You don't want to see… Actually, you probably do."

"See what?"

"Well, how can I put this lightly..." Koji put a hand on his chin and enveloped himself completely in his thoughts for a moment trying to find a politically correct way to speak his mind. Giving up on it after a short while, he threw his hands up in defeat and said, "Screw it, I can't. Our host has a massively ginormous schlong!" He took the phone from Ayako and held it so Makoto could see.

Makoto was almost mesmerized by the picture of Dee Jay's naked nether region. Suddenly, she felt like she may have had a nosebleed coming on. "I guess that explains the limp. Oh my, what a healthy young man…", she said in a daze and she stared, almost longingly.

"No need to stare so hard, dear sister. It looks like you might burn a whole through Ayako's phone," Ryo said in a snide tone, momentarily breaking his 'no douche' policy.

Makoto shook all the dirty thoughts that were forming from her head and turned back toward the door. "I'm off to the gym. I'll see you guys tonight." She ran out of there as quickly as her feet would take her before the red on her face became apparent to her team. She knew she would need an extended workout and a nice cold shower to purge the thoughts completely.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Countdown to the show

Flustered and worked up, Makoto made for the gym. She had to do something to get her mind off what she was shown back at the hotel. Along with the dirty thoughts that started to creep into her head, she couldn't help but feel a bit envious of Ayako. Whether it was a fling or if it would lead to something lasting, it was still something she had never had. Makoto had never been close enough to anyone to get to that stage. And now that she was putting more effort into her appearance and regarding other people around her as more than potential opponents in the ring, she was feeling like it was something she was missing out on. Be it the emotional or the physical.

When she got to the gym she resolved to work herself as hard as she could to get her mind off it all. She didn't skip a beat in getting into it. She wailed on the bag harder than she ever had, improved her max on every weight exercise she used, worked the posts, and ran the treadmill at its fastest setting. She even managed to talk one of the gym's trainers into being her sparring partner, even though he wound up being more like a whipping dummy. She beat that poor sap senseless…

Five hours, six bottles of water, two Gatorades, a bucket worth of sweat, and one thoroughly trashed personal trainer later, Makoto had finally felt relaxed. She had never put out an exercise routine that intense before. Gone were the thoughts that plagued her in the morning, replaced with a drive to improve and compete. She headed back to the hotel with a renewed vigor.

Makoto had completely lost all sense of the passage of time while she was in the euphoric state of mind during her workout. By the time she got back, it was long past lunch and no one from her team was there. She figured they were either at the stadium getting things ready for the weekend or they had finished working and had gone back to enjoying the fact that they were on a tropical island. Adrenaline still pumping hard in her veins, Makoto decided to continue with the exercise. She would take full advantage of the lap lane in the Olympic sized swimming pool the hotel that they were staying at had.

After a shower, Makoto changed into her swimming suit; a simple and conservative red one piece with yellow piping. A year ago, this instance would have been met with dread and apprehension. However, now Makoto was a lot more confident in her appearance, and was actually looking forward to any attention she might get from anyone at the pool. To her dismay, which actually shocked her a bit, Makoto was a little disappointed that she had the pool all to herself for the two hours she used it.

It was early evening when she got back to the room again. She figured that if anyone was back by then that she would at least be cordial and see if they wanted to go out and get some food. Looking at their rooms lined up down the hall, she could see that Ayako was gone, likely out on the town again with Dee Jay. Koji was out also. But her brother Ryo was there. While she could tell he was trying his hardest to be on his best behavior toward her, Makoto still had no intention of spending time with him unnecessarily. Even when Ryo was behaving, something about his personality just crossed her the wrong way.

With that, she resolved to simply call it an early night. The stadium was going to open for participants early, and Makoto figured she would squeeze in one last workout at the gym to loosen up before they left to go there. Early to bed, early to rise and all that jazz.

* * *

**Author's Note ~ For those of you sensing a pattern; Yes. Makoto's favorite colors are yellow and red. The way I'm envisioning her, everything she owns pretty much will be yellow, red, or both. No, my version of Makoto isn't a huge Hulk Hogan fan. They happen to be my favorite colors too, particularly red. And since they seem to be an established motif for her (her scarf and sports bra) in the games, I'm taking it a step further.**

**Another thing you may notice is that sometimes, I crank out a relatively short chapter. That usually happens when I can't think of a way to connect one chapter to the next. As a way of apologizing, I will almost always have the next chapter posted that same day.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: It's SHOW TIME, folks!

Early Saturday morning

As she had gone to sleep very early in the evening the previous night, Makoto got out of bed very early. Today was the day of the tournament, but the stadium would not open for a few more hours. She got dressed and headed out to prep for a fight the only way she knew how; in the gym. Dee Jay's gym was open twenty four hours and all the fighters were allowed to make use of it any time they wanted.

Upon arriving, Makoto noticed the trainer she had… "sparred with" the day before sitting behind the desk up front. He was wrapped up in some bandages, his left arm was in a sling, and he had some cuts and bruises on his face. As soon as he caught sight of her, he gingerly but quickly stood up from his seat and hastily limped away. Makoto wasn't exactly proud of that, but it did make her feel better to know that at least he wasn't too seriously hurt.

On the training room floor, she kicked off her sneakers, donned her brand new Strength and Honor karate gi over her compression outfit and went about doing some movement drills to get used to working out and fighting in it again. As she had been training in her compression outfit for months, she wanted to make sure she wouldn't have any issues. Not at all surprising, it took very little time for her to become reacquainted with it. It was like meeting up with an old friend. Makoto cranked out a good two hours' worth of hard work. By the time she was done, she was feeling great and primed for fighting. She went back to the hotel to meet up with her team.

When she got back to their floor, Makoto saw Koji and Ryo in the hall outside their rooms, ready to go. Ryo looked up at her as he caught a glimpse of her coming out of the stairwell. "I figured you had gone to the gym again," he said. "You have a little bit of time still yet to shower and maybe grab a bite. Ayako got back really late last night, so she just woke up."

With a bit a grin forming, Koji interjected his two yen. "As much as I would love to set that girl straight and get her head back into a business mind set, I think she's probably needed something like this for years. When I went in there to get her ass out of bed, I saw that when she got up that she had a more noticeable limp today. She no doubt had another go at our illustrious Mr. Maxwell." Makoto couldn't control the red that hit her face when Koji mentioned that last part. Koji went on. "I don't know… Maybe I should ask the company for permission to leave her here and have her set up a branch office for Strength and Honor. She might be able to work out some kind of partnership deal with Dee Jay to help get us settled around these parts."

Ryo being Ryo had to get in on that. "Hey, if you do, I want in. You would need a legal eagle to help smooth out the details of it all anyway, and it would be a chance to expand my firm."

"We'll see how things turn out," Koji said. "Go ahead and get ready Makoto. Ryo and I are going to take off and get set up at the stadium. Let 'Princess' know what's up if she asks." With that, the two men made for the elevator and engaged in conversation about the possibility of expansion to the Caribbean. Makoto went into her room to take a quick shower. When she was done, she got into a fresh gi, grabbed a Clif bar to munch on, and, eager to get eyes on some of the competition, left for the stadium.

With the pass issued to all the fighters, Makoto made her way into the huge domed stadium. She had to stop for a moment to take in all in. The entrance led into an atrium that was breathtaking. None of the arenas she had been to while traveling Japan, not even the Tokyo Dome, could hope to match what she was seeing right then. _**Whoa… This place is even bigger than Nissan Stadium in Yokohama!**_ Makoto simply stood there in hushed awe for a while. When she regained herself, Makoto took to looking around at other fighters that had arrived. _**Hmm… That guy's a judoka. This chick with the buzz cut is probably Commando Sambo or Krav Maga. This dude in the shorts is obviously traditional Muay Thai. **_She stopped and remembered that Koji had given her a roster of all the participants with their style and she didn't have to go around guessing. She made for their booth out on the stadium floor.

When she found them, Koji and Ryo had already set up. The seats were starting to fill up with spectators, but there was still another hour before things were supposed to get started. Makoto, ever the studious learner with regard to fighting, got on her brother's laptop again to look up fight videos of as many of the fighters on the roster that she could find.

A while later, the stadium was absolutely abuzz. The TV cameras were rolling and capturing the pre-show for the televised event, the stands were packed to capacity, and at some point without Makoto noticing, Ayako had finally shown up. Things were about to kick off.

A female announcer was getting the crowd hyped for the fights. Then, a very upbeat rhythm started to play over the speakers. {A/N ~ Upbeat rhythm = Dee Jay's Arranged theme from Hyper Street Fighter II: Anniversary Edition} "Everyone in the crowd, make some noise for the man with the plan. Your host with the most. The Caribbean's favorite son. The Southern Comet himself. Mister Dante Julian Maxwell, DEE JAY!"

Dee Jay, barefoot and clad in a lavish robe reminiscent of an over the top pro wrestler, and of course smiling as always, made his way to the center of the stadium floor to a huge ovation from the audience. "DEE JAY! DEE JAY!"

At center stage, Dee Jay took a microphone lowered to him from the rafters to address the adoring public. "Ladies and gentle-mon! You know, my old Gram used to tell me something all the time before she passed. She would always say, 'Boy, if you're gonna do something, always do it as hard as you can. Take everything to the absolute max.' I took that to heart and even starting with nothing, here I am today, owner of the Maximum Potential International Corporation." As if on cue, the crowd erupted in praise for their host.

"I want to thank you all for coming out to be with me. We're all gonna have a lot of fun, right?" The crowd roared in response. "But before we get started, I got a special treat for you all. I got some out of town friends here for this big shindig, and let me tell you, one of them is one baaaaaad little lady."

Makoto and her team all looked at each other then settled their gaze on Ayako. "Did you know about this?" Koji asked her.

Ayako, with just as confused a look on her face as the others, shrugged and said, "No, but I'm guessing it's the surprise he was telling us about." They all turned their attention back to Dee Jay.

"Can I get everyone's attention to the Titan Tron so you can see just what I'm talking about." On the jumbo screens, Dee Jay's production crew played a montage video of Makoto's high intensity workout at his gym the day previous. "This pretty little thing kicking all that butt is Makoto Rindou from Tosa, Japan. She's here to tell you that there is only one brand of gear that you or anybody should be using; Strength and Honor!" The crowd roared again seeing Makoto put her all into that workout.

Makoto felt the blush start to hit her cheeks, but it seemed to be overpowered by a strong sense of pride that started welling up. Koji turned to her and asked, "Did you know they were recording you?"

"I didn't have the slightest clue," she responded.

Ryo put a hand to his chin. "Well, when they had us go over the release forms, I do recall something from the gym saying that they tend to record a lot of people and use their workouts as motivational tools that their personal trainers use for their clients."

Dee Jay continued. "Folks, let me tell you. This girl is the real deal, and so is Strength and Honor. They both get the Dee Jay's personal seal of approval!" Just then, he dramatically whipped off his robe to reveal that he was wearing S&H padded gloves and loose fitting fighter's pants with Strength printed vertically down one side and Honor on the other, all in his trademark bright orange of course. He posed for the cameras, prominently showing off the logos to the audience on the Titan Tron screens. Makoto and her team all gasped in complete shock. None of them were expecting for Dee Jay's surprise to be even bigger than just allowing them to put up posters and set up a booth and mentioning them in passing. The Caribbean's most famous person just gave them a huge personal endorsement, and they didn't pay a dime for it.

Flabbergasted, Koji spit out, "Holy shit Ayako! You must have seriously rocked his whole fucking world!"

Ayako couldn't help but smile, giggle like a school girl, and blush at that. "The next time I go out with him, I'll try to see if I can get him to give me a copy of that video. That would make a great commercial."

"Damn straight! Get on it, Princess!"

"Hey, light guy!" Dee Jay called over the microphone. "Give the crowds an eyeful of my buddies." Suddenly, the Strength and Honor team found themselves in a bright spotlight. Not only was that light on them, but the cameras were pointed at them too, putting them all up on the Titan Trons. The entire audience was looking on at them and cheering. "Ladies and gentle-mon, all the way from Japan, Maximum Potential gives to you, Strength and Honor!" Again, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

The team, minus Koji, all seemed to be somewhat embarrassed by the sudden attention. Koji however seemed perfectly at ease with it. He stood and waved to the raucous crowd. "Don't just stand there like you got caught with your pants down," he said to the rest of them. "Smile and wave!" They all did as ordered and the crowd ate it up. Then, they did something that really caught the team off guard.

"Ma-ko-to! Ma-ko-to! Ma-ko-to!" The crowd was chanting her name. She had no idea how in the world to respond to such praise.

"They love you little sis," Ryo said. "Take a bow!"

Face fully flushed, Makoto did so. She even struck a pose, which caused the crowd to get even louder.

"All right, people!" Dee Jay said into the mic. "Are we ready to get this thing started right?"

In unison, the crowd yelled, "YEAH!"

"Oh, come on! My dear old Gram in her grave could get louder than that! Say it like you mean it!"

Even louder, the crowd screamed, "**YEEEEAH**!"

"Gimme one, more! I don't think they heard us in Montego!"

"**YEEEEEEAAAAAH**!"

"Alright! Then let's do it!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Roll Call

Dee Jay's tournament was to be of a unique set up. Rather than the whole thing being just about the fights, the entire production was set to play out like a show. There would be interviews, career perspectives of the fighters, commentaries by fighters on others' fights, and lots of fan interaction. The tournament itself was going be double elimination, have sixty four fighters, and include a loser's bracket for the fighters that came up short in the quarter final and semifinal brackets. Such a grandiose undertaking was why the event was set to take place over the course of four days.

Dee Jay and his Master of Ceremonies were playing to the crowd, keeping them pumped and driving the TV broadcast. It was rowdy. It was raucous. The adrenaline seemed to be wafting through the air, so thick, it was almost tangible. One word could sum it all up; "Excitement". Dee Jay and the MC took turns announcing the fighters.

"Alright ladies and gentle-mon," Dee Jay began. "Let me introduce to you all, our fighters for this little party." On the Titan Tron screens, appeared a tournament bracket with Makoto on the first line and all the others blank until Dee Jay on the last.

A jazzy blues song started to play throughout the arena. "First up; from South Town, Florida. A detective that certainly knows how to handle a fight. Representing Commando Sambo, Miss Mary Ryan!" The cameras moved and pointed out a pretty, blonde woman with a lithe chiseled frame, clad in baggy blue pants with a large star logo on the side, green bomber jacket, a tight red halter top, and an oversized brown leather belt hanging around her waist. Mary smiled and waved to the camera. Her image on the Titan Tron changed to a video showcasing some of her fighting. When it was finished, the tournament bracket appeared on the screen, and "Blue Mary" appeared on the line of the bracket for her to fight Makoto in the first round.

Blue Mary's Blues track faded and was replaced with a hard hitting, fast electric guitar riff. Dee Jay's MC came in over the microphone. "Up next; from Samut Prakon, Thailand. He is the prized student of one of the greatest fighters that ever lived. I give you the 'Prince of Muay Thai'; Mister Adon Montri!" The cameras caught a thin, but very well built red haired man in traditional Muay Thai garb.

"Ladies and gentle-mon. My next guest is a man with a long list of accomplishments. He is a former NCAA, IWGP, WWE, and UFC champion of the heavyweight division. He hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Psycho Viking. The Beast Incarnate. Brock Lesnar!" A hulking behemoth of a man with a closely cropped buzz cut, padded gloves, and loose fitting black fighting shorts stood and posed menacingly for the camera. The crowd ate it up like candy.

"From the Owusu tribe in Nairobi, Kenya, this African jewel comes to us to showcase her prowess in Capoeria. I give to you, Miss Elena Okoli." A tall, slender, dark skinned young woman with short white hair and clad in simple white wraps that left little very little to the imagination was shown on the Titan Tron. She smiled wide and waved for the crowd.

"Our next fighter is also a practitioner of Capoeria and is also stunningly beautiful. From Paraiba, Brazil. I give you Christie Montiero!" Another young dark skinned woman was shown on screen. Only she had long brown hair and was wearing an outfit that was far more extravagant, though was still revealing and seemingly designed purposefully to show off her curves.

"Next up, we have another proud Brazilian. He comes to us from Sao Paolo. This kid is a student of a friend of mine from the States. He brings us a modified version of Shotokan Karate. College basketball prodigy turned fighter, Sean Matsuda!" The camera panned to catch a fighter in a yellow gi with the sleeves torn off dribbling a basketball and chomping intently on a mouthful of bubble gum.

"Our next fighter brings us an American twist to Lucha Libre. She is multitalented, being a scientific researcher and a fighter, and describes herself as a workaholic. La Mariposa, Lisa Hamilton!" A dark woman in a flashy and skimpy outfit with matching mask played to the crowd and seemed to bask in the attention.

"Coming to us from Dulwich, London in jolly old England, this next fighter represents the respectable sport of boxing. He cites other British boxing greats Chris Eubank and Lennox Lewis as his inspiration. A gentle-mon of unparalleled grace and skill. Mister Dudley Watson!" The cameras caught a man in dainty attire that seemed ill-suited for the rigors of fighting somehow being able to enjoy a cup of tea with his boxing gloves still on. He sported slicked hair and a clean mustache that showed signs of meticulous care.

"Speaking of Brits, our next fighter is a saucy a Brit as you'll ever see. This buxom beauty is self-styled and classy as they come. Put your hands together for Lien Neville!" The Titan Tron showed a shot of a tall blonde wearing a black and yellow leather outfit so tight, it called into question how her body was getting circulation. The top part of the outfit was unzipped partially so that she could show the world just how "buxom" she really was. Her long blonde hair was tied back and kept in place with a black hairband.

"Our next two fighters seem to be polar opposites of each other. Both are fiercely competitive youths that hail from South Korea and both practice Tae Kwan Do. That's where the similarities end. First, from Seoul, Juri Han!" The cameras found the two fighters next to each other. "The second, from Busan, Kim Jae Hoon!" They were most certainly opposites, as Juri was wearing baggy white pants that were cut open like chaps, revealed her pink, purple and black tights, along with a pink and purple breastplate that had straps going around to her back that gave it a spiderlike look. She wore her hair in a unique horn looking style that likely required lots of gel and was held in place by two pink rings. Jae Hoon wore a more traditional Tae Kwan Do gi that was predominantly white with green accents and a South Korean flag patch on his chest. He had short black hair that was unremarkable except that it looked almost dark blue depending on the light.

The two also fought very differently. While they used the same style, their personalities were mirrored by the way they fought. Juri's wild and boisterous nature made her more one for vicious and unrelenting offense, while Jae Hoon's calm and collected demeanor dictated a more defensive style and pacing.

"Ladies and gentle-mon, our next fighter comes to us from the heart of Mexico and is the chief of the Thunder Foot Tribe. This mounding mass of man stands a mighty seven feet and eight inches. Give it up for Thunder Hawk!" A large man in a denim vest and pants was seen sitting calmly among the crowd of fighters. When he realized the whole world was watching him, he got to his feet, towering above all around him. He gave a small smile and raised a hand in greeting.

"Here's a real treat! Our next guest is also from the Thunder Foot tribe and is the chief's wife. Folks, lets here it for Julia Hawk!" A comparatively much smaller woman stepped from behind T. Hawk. She wore a dark blue leotard with matching stockings that covered every inch of her from her neck down to her boots, except that that back was open. She also had a pair of thick red padded gloves that went up to her forearms like gauntlets.

"Our next contestant brings us a look at the Nam Pai Chuan derivative of Shaolin Kung Fu. A Chinese-American fighter who runs a restaurant with her uncle. Li Xiangfei!" The cameras focused in on a small girl who was doing traditional Shaolin movements with a pair of ceremonial swords.

"Hailing from the island of Leronde, he is a medical student that is very deft of fist. Accompanied by his sparring partner Leia and teacher Master Sonia, this is Jude Mathis!" A young man with short black hair in a long black and green coat with matching pants was shown adjusting his gloves and standing next to a perky looking young brunette and an older brunette woman that was likely the younger's mother.

Dee Jay and the MC continued on with the introductions for the remaining forty seven entrants. It went on for what seemed like hours. However, every minute of it served as fuel for Makoto's raging fire. She yearned to compete and get a taste of every different fighting style she possibly could. The pageantry of Dee Jay's tournament may have been a bit much for her, but she knew that it was all going to lead to what she wanted most, so she would just endure it.

* * *

**A/N ~ Cameo overload! Okay, so maybe I overdid it a bit with the cameos. Sue me. For those unfamiliar, here are each of the cameo characters' origins. Blue Mary is from Fatal Fury 3. Brock Lesnar is a real life fighter and wrestler. Christie Montiero came from Tekken 4. Lisa Hamilton first appeared as herself in Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball and as La Mariposa in Dead or Alive 4. Lien Neville is from King of Fighters: Maximum Impact. Kim Jae Hoon is from Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves and is one of Kim Kaphwan's sons. Li Xiangfei is from Real Bout 2. And Jude Mathis is one of the two primary protagonists in Tales of Xillia. Master Sonia Rolando and her daughter Leia Rolando are also from Tales of Xillia.**

**I tried to make the cameos come from a variety of sources and didn't want to have two from the same source.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The stage is set!

The first round of the Maximum Potential tournament was set in stone. Makoto was beaming with excitement. For her first round fight, she drew Blue Mary, a fighter from Commando Sambo. She was more than eager to test how her hard hitting Rindou-kan style would fare against the technical prowess of Sambo.

Makoto and Blue Mary both climbed into the ring. It was a much bigger version of the standard boxing or wrestling ring, being 42x42 instead of 16x16. It also sported stronger, reinforced ring ropes, thicker and softer padding on the turnbuckles, and less springy give on the mat.

Dee Jay's Master of Ceremonies came back over the microphone. "Before we get going, of course we have to lay down the rules. Fights can be won by knock out, submission, or the referee stopping it for a fighter's well being and safety. Fighters will obey the ref at all times. Failure to do so will result in an immediate disqualification. Getting knocked outside the ring is not an automatic loss, however, failure to get back in the ring before a ten count is. As is standard in boxing, the ref will call for a break if a clench goes to the ropes. Fighters will also have to answer to a standing eight count, as also standard in boxing. The ring ropes are not out of play. Fighters are allowed to utilize the ropes so long as they heed the referee. And while it is not illegal, please try to keep the manifested ki manipulation to a minimum. We do have a live crowd here. Dee Jay, down to you!"

"Okay ladies and gentle-mon! Our first fight is gonna be big fun. We're comin' fresh out the box with something good for ya! Fighting out of the red corner, from Tosa, Japan. The face of Strength and Honor, Makotooooooooo Rindoooooooooou!"

**MA-KO-TO! MA-KO-TO! MA-KOTO! **The crowd's adoration was fueling her fire and making her even more eager to get things going.

"Fighting out of the blue corner, Detective Sergeant 'Blue' Mary Ryan!"

Mary bounced joyfully in place as she shook herself loose to get ready for the fight. After stretching a bit, she threw off her bomber jacket, and in a plucky voice called across the ring, "Are you ready?"

They both took up their fighting stances and waited for the call. "Fighters ready? ENGAGE!"

No sooner had the words left the announcer's lips had Makoto and Mary made their move. Makoto quickly dashed forward in an effort to test her opponent's reflexes. Unfortunately, Blue Mary was just as fast as she had bound backward toward the ring ropes. Makoto realized her fist occupied the empty space where Mary was just a split second before. She failed to see that Blue Mary had jumped back to use the ropes as leverage. By the time she saw Mary, it was too late.

Mary had rebounded herself off the middle rope and was flying full speed at Makoto with a leg outstretched. She made hard contact with Makoto's shin and tripped her up. As Makoto fell forward, Mary's tiny frame slithered under her. In one swift motion, Blue Mary had grapevined one of Makoto's legs with both of her own and grabbed the other with both hands. Mary used Makoto's falling momentum to flip her. The movement was so fast that she managed to flip so that she fell onto her back instead of face planting. What happened next was certainly not pretty…

Immediately after the impact of Makoto's back hitting the ring mat, Blue Mary extended herself, essentially turning Makoto into a giant wishbone. "OOOOOOOH! Ladies and gentleman, Blue Mary's infamous Crab Crunch!" the MC announced, enthusiastically. "She's bringing out the big guns early on, folks. Can Makoto come back from such a hard start?"

Blue Mary rolled away to put some space between them and try to plan her next move. Makoto grabbed at her crotch and writhed in agony for a moment. _**Damn. Unorthodox as hell, but that was a good move. She's quick, so I'll have to try to slow the pace and find an opening.**_

After collecting herself, Makoto got to her feet. She did everything in her power to ignore the pain inflicted by the Crab Crunch. She took up her fighting stance and began to slowly sidestep around Mary, who was practically in the center of the ring. Makoto moved slowly and intently, trying to provoke an attack. She was trying to gauge Mary's next move and counter it. After a moment, she realized Mary was doing the same as she hadn't budged an inch since Makoto had gotten to her feet.

In another attempt to provoke Blue Mary into attacking, Makoto tried to use a head fake move. However, Mary saw through it. As soon as Makoto twitched in the slightest to feign a strike, Mary had rolled forward, closing the gap between them. That caught Makoto completely by surprise. It seems she fell for Mary's bait instead the other way around. Now Mary was in close and that was where she likely to be to best ply her trade.

Makoto was not prepared to defend against an attack so close. Mary struck quick as the wind with a blow to the gut. The punch knocked the breath out of Makoto and she staggered several feet backward. When she regained her footing, she tried to reacquire her target. Mary, quick as she was, was already behind Makoto. From behind, she kicked the instep of Makoto's left foot then the back of the calf on her right leg. This caused Makoto to drop to her right knee. As she was going down, she felt Mary's arms around her waist. Before she could react to any of it, Blue Mary was lifting her off her feet with a strength that betrayed her small body.

CRASH!

Makoto was driven onto the back of head by Blue Mary with a beautiful high angle, bridged German Suplex that would have made Karl Gotch proud. Even after Mary released her hold of Makoto's waist, she couldn't do anything but sit there in that position, stunned, with her legs above her head, knees touching her cheeks.

While Makoto was attempting to gather herself again, Blue Mary had made her way to the closest corner of the ring and perched herself on the top rope turnbuckle. She sat there waiting for signs of Makoto to get up. Like a predator, she looked on at her prey. As soon as Makoto started to stir, Mary pounced.

She hadn't even gotten the chance to fully stand before Blue Mary was in the air coming toward her. The entire action was a complete blur to Makoto as Mary had leaped from the top rope and grabbed her arm. Mary used the falling inertia to again flip Makoto over, this time wrapped in an arm bar.

With unparalleled enthusiasm, the MC yelled into her microphone. "OOOOOH! Mark this day on your calendar folks! It's a once in a lifetime treat to see a flying Spider and a Crab Crunch in the same fight!"

Makoto was starting to get frustrated. She wasn't able to defend herself against Blue Mary's blistering speed and tactical throws. She had to get up and put some distance between them so she could figure out a way around Mary's moves. But first, she had to break free from her arm bar.

As Mary wrenched on her arm over and over, Makoto was trying her hardest not to cry out from the pain. Then, she saw her out. Mary had her legs crossed over Makoto's chest and both hands clinging to her left arm. Since Mary was wearing a halter top and both hands were currently occupied, that left her midsection wide open. Makoto rolled and maneuvered herself so she could get to her feet. As she expected, Mary held on to her arm with all her might. When she was able to partially stand, basically kneeled over Mary, she took her chance. Since Mary was still holding on to her left arm, Makoto raised her right hand and brought her fist down and into Mary's ribs.

The impact made Blue Mary feel like she had just been hit by sucker punched by a cinder block. She gasped hard and relinquished her hold on Makoto's arm. As quickly as she could, Makoto got to her feet and put half the ring's worth of distance between her and her adversary. As much as she didn't like giving Mary a chance to catch her breath, she needed to do so herself.

Her face red with anger, frustration, and exertion, Makoto looked on at her opponent as she tried to form her next set of actions. Apparently, she had hit Mary harder than she thought. The tiny blonde had barely moved except for her pained and erratic breathing. Winded or not, Makoto had to strike and do it quick, or Blue Mary might be able to get back into the game. As she creeped close, Mary started to stir. When she lifted herself, Makoto moved in for the kill. However, she stopped dead in her tracks. As Mary got to her knees, she let out one hard, painful gasp and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The referee was at Blue Mary's side in an instant to check on her. Unable to make out what was being said over the roaring crowd, Makoto could do nothing but stand there and look on. Mary was yelling furiously at the ref and shaking her head. The ref was going to stop the fight as Makoto had broken two of Mary's ribs.

Not wanting to let it end that way, Mary pushed past the referee and charged toward Makoto. Readying herself for the attack, Makoto took up her stance. Mary, with her uncanny quickness, rolled between Makoto's legs and from behind, quickly jumped on Makoto's shoulders. She wrapped her legs around Makoto's neck and twisted what little weight her small frame had. In doing so, she dragged Makoto over in a dramatic looking head scissor takedown.

Caught off guard and now on her back again, Makoto's anger and frustration hit a boiling point. She sprang to her feet and again put space between them. Mary, showing obvious signs of pain and frustration herself, rushed at Makoto again. This time, Makoto was prepared. She shut out the entire arena and focused solely on the woman charging toward her. The whole world around her seemed to slow down as she readied her attack, left hand outstretched, right hand in a fist close to her head. When Blue Mary had stepped into her range, Makoto launched herself forward.

"HAYATE!"

CRACK!

Makoto's punch landed square on Mary's cheek and she was sent reeling backward several feet. When she didn't get up right away, the ref stepped in to go check on her. After a moment, he stood and frantically waved his arms, calling for the end of the fight. Makoto had not only knocked Blue Mary unconscious, but also broke her jaw. The crowd went wild!

The time keeper sitting ringside repeatedly rang the bell. The MC came over the air on the microphone. "Fight fans, by way of knock out, here is your winner; Makotoooooooo Riiiiiindooooooooou!"

Dee Jay climbed into the ring and his microphone was lowered from the ceiling. "Hey there, sweet thing. You put your all into that fight. What's on your mind after coming out on top?"

Still wincing in pain, but now able to relax, Makoto leaned back on the ropes in her corner. She looked up at Dee Jay and said, "Man, that was good stuff! Let her know when she wakes up that I'm totally down for a rematch."

"Ya hear that, people? My girl wants more! Give it up for Makoto Rindou and Strength and Honor!"

The audience went absolutely bananas.

**A/N ~ If you aren't familiar with Blue Mary from the Fatal Fury, Real Bout, and King of Fighters series, look her up. She has some pretty awesome moves. The Crab Crunch in particular looks really brutal. The head scissor takedown is one of her Desparation Moves, Mary Typhoon. And I felt the need to pay respect to Karl Gotch with that German Suplex. Again, sue me.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Here Comes a New Challenger!

With her first win in the bag, Makoto could relax a bit and recover. Being that it would be quite some time before the rest of the thirty one fights of the first round were finished, there was plenty of time to kick about before her next round fight. Given the tournament layout, the second round fights would take place the following day. Makoto decided to hit the showers, grab a bite to eat, and get right back to watching the other fights.

When she got back to her team's booth, she was pleased to find out she had only missed one fight and that one fight was two fighters with similar builds and using the same style. Another was just about to start though. She sat down just in time for the MC to introduce the next two fighters. As was the norm, a music track began to play as the announcement started. Makoto recognized it as 'Prismatic Stars', the theme for an eccentric pro wrestler and mixed martial artist from Japan.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Next up, we have for you, a fighter that should feel right at home in this ring. Fighting out of Tokyo and represented by Kanzuki Zaibatsu Management. The current reigning Oz Academy Women's Wrestling openweight champion and Ultimate Fighting Championship women's bantamweight champion; 'Rainbow' Mika Nanakawa!"

Rainbow Mika made her way to the ring shrouded head to toe in a hooded robe. She was accompanied by an enthusiastic man who wore wrestling tights and a mask similar to that of a Mexican luchador and displaying her Oz Academy championship belt. When she got in the ring, Mika climbed to the second rope of one of the corners and dramatically whipped off the robe, revealing herself to be a very well endowed and beautiful young woman with very long blonde pigtails jutting out from both sides of her head. She wore a mask and a skin tight, brightly colored, and provocative outfit that played very well to her unending curves. Around her waist was the UFC women's championship belt, which she seemingly wore in such a way as to further accentuate the curve and swell and her (rather plentiful) hips and buttocks.

Mika played to the crowd and soaked up the adoration while her corner man, Fuerte, paraded around ringside showing off her belts. After a minute, her music faded. Replacing it was a track that began with a rather mellow, but heartfelt guitar riff*. Somehow, the music seemed to convey a sense of calm, but strong conviction.

"Fight fans, our next fighter comes to us from the city of Belle Chasse, Lousiana. Today, he makes his major fight circuit debut. This young man describes himself as 'a simple small town Cajun swamp rat' and claims not to represent any particular fighting style. Lets hear it for James Livingston!"

The fighter that came out next caught Makoto's eye. Not because he was flashy or loud. Quite the opposite actually. Amidst all the hustle, the glitz, and the glamour of Dee Jay's tournament, this young man caught Makoto's attention because he was he was the polar opposite of everything around him. He walked to ring calmly. When he climbed in, he didn't pander to the audience, instead sitting quietly in his corner. He was an African American man with a complexion about the same as Dee Jay. His face was cleanly shaven, his head was shaved bald, and he wore simple white keikogi pants and a plain black tank shirt. Makoto was interested to see what this man was bringing to the table in terms of his fighting.

Both fighters made their way to center of the ring. Mika seemed very enthused and was practically bouncing excitedly as she stood face to face with James. Makoto noticed that while James seemed to have a tunnel visioned focus when he first came out; he appeared to be a bit distracted there in the middle of the ring. She couldn't tell by what though.

Dee Jay started the fight. "Prepare for battle… Go for it!"

With those words, James was apparently snapped back to reality. Mika came at him quickly with an attempted Superman punch. James swiftly sidestepped her and struck with an open handed knife edge chop to the back of her neck. The attack was so fast that Makoto could barely even see it. The strike was hard enough and in such an awkward place that it stunned Mika right away.

She caught herself before she tripped, but she instinctively grasped the back of her neck with both hands. However, she made a fatal mistake. She stood there with her back to her opponent. Makoto figured this match was over practically before it even started, however, nothing happened. Again, Makoto noticed that James seemed to be distracted. But why? She observed him intently to try to find out.

As Mika stood there trying to rub sensation back into her neck, James sat there, his guard wide open, with an almost stupefied look on his face. If Mika had recovered sooner, she would have been able to take good advantage of it. When she did recover and turned back toward him, he was ready for her.

She attacked with a flurry of fast punches, but didn't manage to make direct contact with any. James had deflected or dodged every one. When she turned slightly to throw a kick, Makoto again noticed that James seemed a bit off. But again, he managed to regain himself in time to move out of the way. Mika attempted to throw another kick with the other leg, but it seemed she had phoned the move in as James not only able to side step it, but he also drove a hard knee into the flat of one of her thighs, away from the meaty portion and closest to the bone.

Makoto couldn't help but to cheer that. It was a great counter and hit its mark perfectly. Mika lost her footing and fell on her knees to the mat, again trying desperately to rub sensation back into the affected area. Makoto wasn't able to deduce a pattern to his fighting, but she realized that he was all about exploiting weaknesses of attacks. However, before she could praise this tactic, she noticed that once again, James looked distracted. Then she got it! She traced his eyes, and noticed that whenever Mika was facing away from him or turned to the side, his eyes seemed to lock on to her hind quarters.

_**Hmm… Wow! This guy really likes her butt. He doesn't seem like the pervert type. Maybe he just has an appreciation for a thicker woman. He seems like a really good fighter, but he got bad luck drawing her in the first round. And that outfit she is wearing certainly isn't doing him any favors.**_

Again, once Mika was turned around and ready to go back on the attack, James was right there waiting. She did something a little odd. She simply walked up to him and held out her hands, palm out. She was trying to goad James into a classic Greco-Roman knuckle lock, an old test of strength. Knowing his fighting was not about brute force and that she was likely physically stronger than him, he would have none of it. He shook his head and motioned for her to come at him. She inched closer, still trying to get him into it, but he stood his ground. Then, she turned her body slightly to one side, altering her normal stance just a bit. That was just enough of a distraction for her. She picked up on how his eyes began to wander and capitalized with a swift elbow to the bridge of his nose.

James reeled backward a few steps. While he did, Mika ran toward the closest rope to gain some momentum. Before James could fully catch himself, Mika was on the attack. When he opened his eyes after blinking off the sudden shock, he was too late. Mika was already midflight, coming toward quickly, butt cheeks first.

Ever the infinite fount of enthusiasm, the MC yelled into her microphone. "Straight out of the Tokyo Dome, fans. The Flying Peach!"

James couldn't deflect or dodge this one. He saw it coming, but was frozen like a deer staring into a set of headlights. It seemed Mika had picked up on his infatuation with her figure and ran with it. The big, round, meaty piece of black man's Kryptonite made hard contact with the counterattacking Superman, square on his chest.

Winded from being silly slapped by a thick chick's big ol' ass, James was pushed back and fell through the ring ropes to the arena floor. Thankfully, the thick padding cushioned the fall (somewhat). The referee didn't even get his ten count to three before James was back in the ring. Makoto noticed that when he did get back in, he had the focused look on his face again. She assumed that he realized he had just been embarrassed by his weakness and was taking the kid gloves off.

James cracked his neck and motioned for Mika to come at him. Smiling, she obliged. Mika was on him once again with a barrage of quick punches and the occasional kick. She was a little disappointed to see that he was no longer distracted by her curves. Seeing that her secret weapon wasn't going to work again, she upped the power behind her strikes. James skillfully dodged all the attacks and waited for his opening. Mika threw a strong kick that came in at his side. Unable to dodge it, he put out an arm to block. Mistake…

The force behind that kick was enough deaden his arm momentarily and make him drop his gaze. This split second was all Mika needed, as once again as he brought his head up to face her, he saw incoming cheeks. Not wanting to be done in by the same trick twice, James side stepped her again. Mika landed hard right on her butt. Grabbing tenaciously at her stinging cheeks, she looked up at him over her shoulder. He could see a hint of frustration on her face and he backed up to get some space between them. That frustration manifested itself even stronger as Mika quickly shot to her feet and charged. She would regret that…

Finally seeing the opportunity he was looking for, James let her get closer. Once the gap between them was non-existent, he grabbed her by the arm and purposely dropped backward. At the same time, he grabbed hold of Mika's right leg with both of his own, and using her forward momentum, rolled on his back. She fell flat on her face and James had rolled through the motion. He was now kneeling on one knee and had her locked in a vicious half Boston Crab. Leaning his weight back, essentially sitting partially on her plenteous rump and the small of her back, James wrenched on her right knee. Mika kicked her free leg furious from the pain and could not get loose. The more she struggled, the harder James pulled. When Mika tried to turn her body a bit to relieve some of the pressure, James countered by twisting her the opposite direction and planting his knee into the back of the thigh of her free leg.

Given the pressure he was putting on her back, knee, ankle, and thigh, Mika had no choice. She pounded on the mat, signaling the ref to stop the fight.

"Ladies and gentle-mon! Victorious in his debut fight, your winner, by way of a submission; James Livingston!" The crowd erupted as James got to his feet. Showing he was but a simple and humble man, he merely turned toward the crowd and gave small nod of his head. He then turned back to Mika, got down next to her, and checked to make sure she wasn't hurt too badly. A fighter and a gentleman.

Makoto was in awe. In all her time studying fighters, styles, and technique, she had never seen such a smooth and fluid counter. While she could plainly see that James had a glaring weakness in his love of the female form, she had to respect the talent and potential he showed in his fight. Makoto hoped he would continue to succeed so that they could meet further in the tournament.

* * *

**A/N ~ *The theme song James came out to was the Four Horsemen's 6****th**** WCW theme. It was the first song I learned to play on the guitar so many years ago, and to this day, remains one of my favorites. So simple, yet it certainly conveys emotion. Youtube it. Oh, and James is my boyfriend. His look and his manner I described are all the real James. He has a definite weakness for butts. Catching him staring at mine is how we met. :p**

**To give you an idea of how painful a Half Crab with a twist can be, go to the link on my profile page. I'd post a direct link here, but FF won't allow links in stories.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Face to Face

Makoto was pumped up after the end of the fight between Mika and James. That kind of action was exactly the sort of thing she had hoped she would see on this trip. Makoto was intrigued, enamored really, to see and be in fights like that. Two people from wildly different backgrounds locking horns in a clash of styles and cultures. It was enough to make her whole day brighter.

After the fight, Makoto wanted to see if she could meet up with James and possibly pick his brain about his fighting. Given that he claimed not to represent any specific style, she was very interested in his details. She was curious about things like the kinds of training he did, his motivations behind his fighting, and how he learned the smooth and fluid counter attacks he used in his fight. Makoto went into the back area of the stadium to try to catch James. She realized he would likely head to the men's locker room for a shower and some rest, so she went that way.

At the locker room, she knocked and announced herself. A towering behemoth opened the door. Makoto recognized him as Brock Lesnar. 6' 4", 295 pounds. He was an athlete in multiple sports. American football, amateur wrestling, professional wrestling, bodybuilding, mixed martial arts, all of which he had earned championships in. She saw him as a giant walking bicep and (correctly) deduced his fighting was based around his power. The man was huge, and not just comparatively to her. She noticed his neutral facial configuration when he wasn't showing any emotion even looked somewhat menacing, and it played right along with his hulking behemoth stature.

Being nearly a foot and a half taller than her, Brock looked down at Makoto. She looked up at the giant almost in awe. With a nervous half smile, she said, "Whoa… There's a phone call for you Mr. Lesnar. It's China. They want their wall back."

The massive juggernaut cracked a big smile and in a relatively light voice that certainly did not seem to match his huge presence, he spoke. "You know, my wife Rena said the same thing the first time we met. So, what's up? Is it my turn to fight yet?"

"Not yet, big guy," she answered. "I came back here to see if James Livingston from the last fight had come in yet."

With a seemingly disappointed look on his face, Brock spoke again. "Oh… Well, you got here just in time to catch him before he hit the shower. I'll go grab him for you."

"Okay. Thanks."

Brock turned toward the shower area and shut the locker room door behind him. Muffled through the door, Makoto could hear him call out to James. "Hey bro. Slip your pants back on. Someone here to see you. That cute little Japanese chick with the ponytail from the first fight."

She had to pause for a second._** Did that giant just say what I think he just said? Ok… **__**Noted and filed.**_

A moment later, the locker room door opened again and Makoto was greeted by the sight of another tall fighter. James stood before her, and as many men are apt to do, he towered over her smaller frame. Here, she was able to get a much closer look at him. He stood six feet even, tipped 215 pounds, and had a healthy athletic build. He was an absolute pure example of a cruiserweight. He wasn't statuesque with a frame that looked like it was chiseled out of granite, but he was definitely toned and kept good care of himself. Makoto also couldn't help but notice that up this close, he was quite handsome. Suddenly, she was reminded of Ayako and Dee Jay. When that notion hit her, it essentially went straight to her cheeks, as she had blushed bright.

"Hello, miss," James said in a polite tone with a hint of a Cajun southerner accent. "Did you need me for something?"

It was awkwardly silent for a few seconds as Makoto was stuck standing there taking in all of his features and unconsciously thinking of the encounters between her advertising representative and their host. When she realized she was staring and that she must have looked somewhat silly just standing there, she slipped into a nervous chuckle and broke eye contact. As she looked down at her feet, Makoto searched her mind frantically for the words.

While she was in this momentary stupor, James took that time to look her up and down. Since she had her fight already and wouldn't be in the ring again until tomorrow, Makoto had changed into her standard fare red and yellow workout clothes after showering. What she didn't think of was that her form, particularly when clad in that set up, was an inviting look to his eye.

With her eyes firmly pointed at the ground, James' lack of discretion as he looked over the curve and swell of her frame went unnoticed. He realized after a moment that he was staring and came to his senses. "Makoto, right?" he asked rhetorically. He knew who she was. He remembered her clearly from Dee Jay's little show and from her fight. Not only that, but the way she wore her hair in a long braid with her longer scarf streaming from it gave her a distinctive silhouette.

Hearing her name brought her back into the 'here and now'. Makoto's eyes widened for a split second and she shot her gaze back up toward James. "Uh, yeah. Yeah! I'm Makoto," she replied somewhat nervously. "Hey, I wanted to see if I could get to talk to you."

"Hmm? What about?" James asked, his words accompanied by a slightly raised eye brow.

Makoto's curiosity about James' fighting had overpowered her newfound appreciation for his handsome look. That natural curiosity about fighting always perked her up, and right then was no different, as was evident in the sudden change in her tone of voice. "I wanted to see if I could get you tell me about your fighting. I've been a big fan of fighting my whole life, and I love learning new things about fighting and fighters."

James had a fan. He had never had a fan before and didn't really know how to respond. "Oh… um… Not really much to tell, really, but I guess I can try." He eyed a bench near the locker room and motioned toward it. Again, not thinking of whom it was she was with, she walked in front of him. His eyes most certainly locked on to her backside right away.

When they sat, Makoto was all ears. She was ready to take in as much as she could about this unique fighter. James noticed the enthused look about her and was at a bit of a loss. "Well, where should I start?" he asked.

That statement to Makoto may as well have been the equivalent of asking a little kid what flavor of ice cream they wanted. She broke a big smile and said, "I want to know where you learned to fight like that!" She was completely unable to hide the excitement from her voice and didn't care. If she were any more amped up than she already was, she would have started shaking.

"Well…" he bagan. "It really isn't that simple." James rubbed the back of his neck, knowing it would not be easy to explain himself. "The thing is Makoto; I never actually 'learned' how to fight."

Makoto's eyes were the size of saucers. "You what?"

"Seriously. I was never taught how to fight by any source. A lot of what I do when I fight I take from things I've seen."

Makoto was dumbstruck. "What about those excellent counters?"

James was a little embarrassed to be put on the spot. Here he was being grilled by someone that had made fighting her lifestyle. He wanted to not make a fool of himself, but he really had no idea how to go about it. "That's just me reacting to what is happening around me. I mean, I've studied anatomy and I have done some hands on work as a private security officer, so I know what areas of the body are weaker to certain kinds of trauma."

Makoto's head was swimming. "You mean to tell me you are as good as you are in the ring because of knowledge of the body, memory, and natural skill?"

"When you put it that way, I guess you're right. I never really put any thought into it like that."

Makoto was in awe. James had shown her a fight the like of which she had never seen, and now she was finding out that it was all because of skill without formal training. "Wow… I've trained hard most of my life and I don't think I could pull off what you did. That was amazing!"

James closed his eyes and bowed his head a bit, a silent 'thank you' to her. Were his complexion lighter, it would have shown plain as day that James was blushing hot and bright. To himself, he was thinking that not only had he earned a fan, but she was cute too.

As they sat there on the bench, James told Makoto of the different places he had picked up moves by merely observing. From pro wrestling to training videos as a private security contractor to action movies. He was able to mold them all together to fit him as a fighter. Eventually, the conversation veered toward his original motivations for fighting.

"After my girlfriend back home passed, just kind of wandered aimlessly through life. I took up fighting because she was always a fan of sanctioned fights. Her father was a boxer, and she grew up around the ring. Our original plan was for me to go out there just for the kicks and if I turned out to be any good, maybe win a little prize money here and there to start saving for a wedding. But then... She got sick... And never left the hospital." Makoto could see from the single tear that managed to squeeze itself free and roll down his cheek that it was still a relatively fresh wound that hurt for him to talk about. She decided she wouldn't pry any further than he was willing to give.

James continued. "After a few months of sulking, I realized that she would have wanted me to keep pursuing fighting and move on." Makoto noticed that when he said that statement, it seemed to lift him up a bit. "I came out here to see if really had the chops to be a pro fighter. I wanted to know if I could make her proud."

As if she didn't already have a lot of respect for him from just seeing him fight, now Makoto couldn't help but feel pride for him as well. Not only was he good, but his motivation was strong and pure.

* * *

Time seemed to shoot by as they sat there talking. After about an hour and a half, neither of them really cared about the time anymore. They were just enjoying each other's company. She felt odd at first since she really didn't enjoy too many people. James was definitely no Ibuki, which made him even easier to be around. Makoto told him a bit about herself and her fighting, how she planned to pass her family's style on by reopening the dojo back home, how awkward high school was given her personality, and how fighting has been the only constant in life that has sustained her since losing her parents.

After a while, Makoto could no longer ignore the elephant in the room. That burning question in the back of her mind just kept screaming at her to be asked. "So, um… I have to ask. When you were in the ring with Mika, there were times when you looked really distracted."

His eyes immediately dropped to the floor. "So, you picked up on that, did you…"

"It looked like you had a handle on it toward the end," she said, "but it was definitely really noticeable."

James stared off into space and rubbed the back of his neck. He was embarrassed about it, but if he was that obvious, there was no way he could avoid it. "Well… Its kind of hard to explain."

Makoto looked at him and put on a small smile. "No it isn't," she said in very matter of fact tone. "She had a good amount of meat on her bones and it caught your attention."

James was nearly blown away. "Wow… You really did pick up on that."

Her smile got a little bigger. "Come on, man! Even Mika picked up on it. And she was in the midst of a fight. Hell, at one point, it looked like she even tried to use it against you. So tell me, what gives?"

Still embarrassed, he broke eye contact and nervously rubbed the back of his neck again. "Well… I come from Louisiana. Men from my neck of woods are essentially brought up to have a really, REALLY strong… uh, hmm… we'll call it 'appreciation' for a woman with ample portions."

Makoto's smile morphed into a smirk. She felt a bit of Ibuki's influence start to bubble to the surface. "Appreciation, huh? More like infatuation. So everyone where you're from likes a woman with a big butt?"

"Good God, you have no idea…" James said with a bit of a sigh. "Let's just say that I certainly can't deny your use of the word infatuation. There's actually a subculture of music that sprouted up based on our love for a nice big rump."

Suddenly, Makoto was hit with a memory from the day after Ibuki had left town after visiting her from college while she was still in training for this trip. She recalled noticing for the first time that she had a noticeably big butt. She also recalled specifically wondering if there was anyone out there that liked a girl with a big butt. That thought plagued her for a moment until she decided to do something very out of character for herself. She figured she would likely not meet up with James again after this tournament was done, so why not do something silly for once.

Makoto stood from the bench and took a few steps forward. Knowing full well his eyes were locked on her hard, she looked over her shoulder at him and said with a grin, "So, what do you think?" She motioned to her lower half. "Do you think I could inspire someone in your hometown to write a song about me?"

James was stuck. Even with her looking right at him, he couldn't help but stare. The sight of her red compression shorts clinging tenaciously to her admittedly thick buttocks was one his eyes were most definitely thankful for. "Damn…" was all he managed to get out, and took a moment for it to come.

Makoto's grin turned into a chuckle. "I'll take that as a 'yes' then," she said happily. It was strange. Makoto had never felt the urge to flaunt anything to anyone, much less her figure. However, as foreign as it was to her, she had to admit to herself that his reaction made her feel good. Just like that day in the gym with those two random guys. Just like Dee Jay's compliments. Just like Brock saying she was cute. She liked it.

* * *

**A/N ~ I feel like maybe I have to apologize for letting it go so long without updating this story. Aside from dealing with some issues on the homefront, I started writing a story for Breath of Fire. The characters in that series and the continuity I created with that story are a lot of fun for me to write, and it just flowed more freely.**

**I also felt that it was about time I got this story more in line with my description of it on the title block.**

**Yes, James' girlfriend is supposed to be me. I had a suggestion in PM that I do that, but it originally asked for me to die grievously in a fight in James' backstory and for him to be seeking revenge. I thought that was way too cliche and that an off panel death was more tasteful. Sorry Reno.**


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